VALDOSTA – For the first time since 2016, the Colquitt County boys basketball team has opened its season with a victory.
The Packers defeated Leon High of Tallahassee 59-49 on Monday in the first game of the two-day Charles Cooper Invitational at Lowndes High School.
Colquitt County is trying to rebound from the 6-23 record it posted last season.
The Packers last had a winning record in the 2017-2018 season, when they went 14-10 in the final year of Andy Harden’s first tenure as head coach.
The Packers led 18-11 after the first quarter and were never threatened.
The starting lineup included Jakari Byrd, one of five players on the roster who were with the Colquitt County football team that was eliminated in the second round of the state playoffs last Friday.
Byrd scored six points, including four in the first quarter of the first game he played since trading in his No. 74 football jersey for a No. 21 basketball jersey.
“The kids played well,” said Harden, now in the third season in his second tour of duty with the Packers. “It’s going to take some time for the football players to get their legs, but all in all, we played hard.”
Colquitt was led by Harden’s son Cason Harden, who scored 22 points, 15 of which came on five 3-pointers.
Kanilyn Jones, who transferred this season to Colquitt County from Brooks County, scored 14 points, seven in each half.
Marcus Moore, a junior playing point guard after transferring from Grayson, had nine points.
His father, also Marcus Moore, played for the Packers and was a senior on the 1993-1994 team.
Quan Kinsey, another former football player, had four points and Jashar Kinsey and former Packer tight end Alexis Barge each had two.
The other former football players playing on Monday were A’Zhiyen Alridge and Jae Lamar.
Six-foot-7 forward Aaron Pensel scored 16 points to lead Leon, which fell to 2-2.
The Packers will play Rickards High of Tallahassee at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The Colquitt County girls played Thomas County Central in their opener later on Monday in the invitational.
The Lady Packers also will play Leon at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.